Dark Heart
by PenNameAnon
Summary: When a battle for a powerful and mysterious artifact comes to Jump City, can the Titans and their allies keep it from falling into the wrong hands? What does an ordinary civilian have to do with this? And who is trying to kill them all?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or their world.

A/N: To all native French speakers, I apologize in advance. I'm using a combination of the one year of French that I know and online translators. These are probably either wrong or rough translations.

**Prologue: Paris**

A full moon rose over the City of Lights as the young woman strolled through the wet streets, carefully maneuvering around the puddles which littered them. Her head was down, her face shielded by a curtain of black hair. Her narrowed eyes seemed to be unfocused and distant, though she walked purposefully towards a tall building at the end of the narrow street, a flickering sign proclaiming it to be Chez Chantelle, hôtel et bistro_. (Chantelle's Home, Hotel and Bistro)_

Entering the nearly decrepit hotel, she ducked as a chair narrowly missed her head. Raising an eyebrow at the barfight taking place, she casually made an almost unnoticeable gesture towards the two men fighting, then smiled coldly as they were forced apart by a burst of black energy, one stumbling back several steps and the other hitting the wall a few feet behind him. Striding over to the flustered blonde at the front desk, she smiled again, though warmer this time.

"**Bon soir, ****mademoiselle. Combien pour une chambre?"* **_  
_

**"Un chambre? Il coûte 63 euros pour une nuit,"** **she replied, still glancing over at the two men (still glaring at each other) nervously. _  
_

**"Je voudrais une chambre juste pour ce soir, s'il vous plaît,"*** **the dark haired girl replied, pulling out the neccessary money and placing it on the counter.

In return, the blonde handed her a bronze key with the number 15 carved into it.

**"Merci beaucoup. Bon nuit."****** She climbed the stairs hidden behind the counter, quickly slipping into the second room on the right side of a carpeted hallway painted an avocado green. Collapsing on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, nearly falling asleep when her cellphone rang. Groaning, she flipped over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Steph," a cheery voice greeted her on the other end.

"Do you even know what time it is over here right now?" she asked, her voice holding traces of frustration.

"No...but I had to talk to my favorite sister," her younger brother said, and she got the sense that he was laughing at her over the phone.

"Dammit, James, it's 1:00 in the morning! And besides, I'm your _only_ sister."

"What about Charlotte?"

"She's our cousin." _Though she does feel like my sister, most of the time._

"Well, how's France? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No," she huffed, frustrated, "but I did get a lead. By tomorrow it should be in my hands. As for the scenery..." she flipped over, looking up at the ceiling. "It's beautiful here. Can we just stay?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "You and Charlotte could come over from Jump City...I could run the bookshop I've always wanted...you could start your music career...and Char could finally get that aquarium job she's wanted."

Her brother's voice became grave. "Steph, you know we can't do that."

"Yeah, I do," she replied. _And I know why, too. If we left Jump City-for good-_he _would come after us. No matter what cost. And even with the Titans on our side, I'm still not sure if we could take him...what's worse, he would torture everyone we loved._Unbidden, terrible images came to her mind. Charlotte drowning-her brother's handsome face burned beyond recognition-her aunt and uncle torn to shreds-her parents screaming in pain as they were-

"Stephanie? Are you okay?" his voice startled her, making her nearly drop the phone. Swiftly recovering, she put it back up to her ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said brightly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Alright..." his voice was a tad skeptical. "Sweet dreams, sister mine."

"You too," she smiled sadly. "Bon nuit_." _Ending the call, she quickly put on a soft pink nightgown, one of the few things her mother had left behind, before crawling into the rather comfortable bed. Pulling up the covers, she surrendered herself to the world of dreams, a solitary tear trickling down her face as she did so.

* * *

Meanwhile in Versailles, only 30 kilometers from Paris, Alice Carillo clutched the necklace her mother had given her tightly to her chest, before saying a few prayers and going to bed as well. Her blonde hair splayed across the pillow, she stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the suburb below. Hearing a loud crash, she quickly rose, her eyebrows furrowed, before her eyes widened in alarm as a thick gloved hand covered her mouth and something sharp was pressed to her neck.

"Move, and you die. Do you understand?" A gravelly voice whispered into her ear.

"Yes," she whispered, terrified.

"Excellent. Now," he said, pressing the knife so that it cut into her neck, "where is the Crystal Heart?"

**A/N: Well? What do you think? I apologize for the crappy first chapter. The next one is better, I swear.**

***Good evening, miss. How much for a room?**

****A room? It costs 63 euros per night.**

*****I'd like a room just for the night, please.**

******Thank you very much. Good night.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or their world.

A/N:

**Chapter 1: Versailles**

Alice tried to calm her racing heart, her breaths becoming quick and short. Her brow furrowed.

"Crystal Heart? What..." she was cut off with a gasp as the knife was sharply pressed against her throat.

"Don't play games with me! I know you have it!" her captor not-quite-yelled through his teeth.

"Just let me go and I'll get it for you," Alice replied in a soothing tone, attempting to placate him.

"No tricks?"

"Yes. No tricks."

Alice felt the knife removed fromm her throat and breathed a small sigh of relief before squeaking as something metal and cold was pressed to her forehead.

"Show me."

Kneeling, the blonde carefully opened the bottom drawer of her dresser, removed the box, and took out the key, unlocking it.

"Here," she said, her eyes cold. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yeeeesss..." he hissed, dropping the gun in a greedy, ecstatic haze. "Finally..."

Alice slowly inched towards the ceramic lamp in the corner, her captor too fascinated with the necklace to notice. In one swift movement, she grabbed it, turned, and smashed it over the would-be robber's head with a battle cry. He fell, his eyes closing, as she quickly maneuvered around him, snatching the chest out of his hands and holding it to her for a few seconds. Sure that he would wake up in a few minutes (and frankly, quite surprised that that had worked) she quickly grabbed some clothes, her, keys, her purse, and the box before fleeing the apartment, closing the door just as the man began to awaken, groaning loudly. Scurrying down the hallway, she constantly glanced fearfully behind her, making sure that he wasn't in pursuit.

Finally, safe in the elevator, the last Carillo in France planned her next move.

* * *

Nyx watched the morning sun rise over Versailles, a gentle breeze pushing back her long hair. She needed to don her secret identity for this mission, as when she had attempted to follow up on her contact that she had discovered yesterday, she found a broken lamp and signs of a struggle. Something wasn't right here, and she'd rather fight as Nyx than as Stephanie. Her head snapped to the side as the door to the building she was staking out opened, revealing a dirty blonde woman hurrying down the street, clutching a large bundle close to her. She wore a knee-length sky blue dress, a bit rumpled with a dark red stain on the collar.

Nyx leapt down gracefully, subtly manipulating the shadows to conceal her from the Alice's sight as she followed the girl. She crept closer, frowning as she heard Alice muttering to herself.

"Paris, I'll have to go to Paris...no one really knows me there, and I can find somewhere to stay while I figure out what to do next..."

_Paris? Pourquoi? Why?_ Nyx thought, her brow furrowed. Her eyes widened as she looked up again, hearing the blonde scream suddenly. Cheshire leapt at her from the shadows, slashing with all her might. Nyx sprang into action, pushing Alice out of the way before facing the villain. Without a pause, she was set to work blocking Cheshire's sharp claws, creating a shield of shadows.

"Today is just not my lucky day," she muttered to herself as she skidded past Alice.

Black wings bursting from her back in a flurry of feathers, Nyx flew up into the air, sending several bolts of green lightning from her hands. One hit the masked villain, throwing her to the floor, but Cheshire quickly got up again and began to easily scale one of the buildings. Noting this, Nyx flew down the street, her black feathered mask hiding her worried face. Cheshire had grown faster since their last confrontation, and the heroine wasn't sure if she could handle her this time. She yelped as the white mask suddenly filled her vision before groaning as she was clawed and then slammed backwards by the deceptively slim girl. Making a decision, she glided over, grabbed Alice's hand and took them far away.

In a now empty street in Versailles, the girl who looked like a cat hissed her displeasure.

* * *

Alice breathed heavily as the shadow Nyx had used to get away dropped her and the superhero in Jump City. Not moving from the position it had left her in, on her hands and knees, she gagged a bit as the backlash of shadow travel washed over her.

"Are you alright?" said girl asked, quickly kneeling by Alice's side.

"Just dandy," she replied hoarsely, accepting Nyx's outstretched hand. "Seriously, though. Thanks for saving me."

As the girl's eyes narrowed, appraising Alice for a moment, the blonde did the same. Nyx wore a black feathered mask on her face and her black hair hung down to the middle of her back. She wore a black dress with two holes in the back for her wings. Black ribbons crisscrossed across her arms, ending with a silver jewel on the back of her hands, right in the center. Her dress ended towards the middle of her legs, and had intricate designs that seemed to swirl and shift even as she stood still. On her feet she wore black combat boots that went up to her calves, the dress ending as the boots began.

"Someone wants you dead," Nyx said suddenly, breaking Alice out her reverie.

"Excuse me?" Alice asked, her brow furrowed.

"You don't send Cheshire unless you want someone dead. So tell me," Nyx, smiled suddenly, almost ferally. "Who have you pissed off today?"

"What? No one," Alice replied uncertainly, tittering a bit. Nyx's eyes narrowed.

"Hmm. Well, come on then," she said, turning and starting to walk out of the alley.

"Where are we going?" Alice asked, running to keep up with the older girl.

"We're going to see a few friends," Nyx replied, "Have you ever heard of the group called Spectrum?"

* * *

A/N: Well? What do you all think?

I hope I did the fighting scene okay. Were you able to follow what was happening? How can I improve? Please review and let me know!

Constructive Criticism is appreciated, Flames are not, and we'll meet the Titans (and a few others) next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or their world.

**Chapter 2: Jump City**

_"Hmm. Well, come on then," she said, turning and starting to walk out of the alley._

_"Where are we going?" Alice asked, running to keep up with the older girl._

_"We're going to see a few friends," Nyx replied, "Have you ever heard of the group called Spectrum?"_

* * *

A loud buzzer rang throughout the underground base. Tempest, the only one in the common room at the moment, went to answer the door with a loud "I'll get it!"

Opening it, she gasped as she saw Nyx's scratched torso. Briefly noting the blonde girl beside her friend, she pulled them both inside, shutting the door.

"What in god's name happened in France?" she asked, gently but firmly pushing Nyx onto the couch. The blonde girl she had brought sat in a chair in the corner, only sitting on the edge for now.

Nyx grimaced as Tempest placed her hands (now glowing blue) on Nyx's abdomen. "I had a fight with Cheshire, _la putain chatte." __(That goddamned cat.)_

"Well, she got you good," Tempest replied, lifting her hands after a few moments. "There. That's better."

Nyx sat up, all evidence of Cheshire's attack gone. "Thanks, cuz."

"No problem. Now, who is this, and why have you let her lose so much blood?" Tempest asked, turning to face Alice.

"This is Alice. She's why Cheshire clawed me," Nyx replied.

"Apparently someone wants me dead," the blonde echoed the heroine's words from earlier hollowly.

Tempest frowned at Alice's tone. "May I?" she asked, her hands pulsing with blue light again. Alice nodded distantly. Tempest placed her hands on Alice's shoulder, the blue light flowing up to the blonde's bleeding neck and mending the tissue, closing the wound. After a few more moments of concentration, Tempest removed her hands, Alice smiling gratefully at her for a moment before drifting off again, staring into space. Tempest quietly beckoned to Nyx, and the two girls exited the room as Alice remained unresponsive.

"Well? What did you find?" Nyx asked.

"She's pretty much fine for the moment, except for the fact that she's obviously in shock. She's had that cut on her neck since late last night, early this morning, as far as I can tell. But she has a trace of...well..." Tempest trailed off, her aquamarine eyes hard to read.

"What?"

The other girl leaned closer, whispering."She has a trace of _him _on her, Nyx. Whoever inflicted that injury was under his orders."

"So what does this mean?" Nyx asked, her eyes cold.

"Well-" The conversation was cut off by a sudden earthquake that shook the base, sending both girls to the floor. Rushing into the common room again, they were greeted with an unconscious Alice on the floor and a dented door. An ominous booming sent Nyx and Tempest into defensive positions in front of the blonde.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. And then-

Cinderblock burst in with a roar, sending Alice flying into the room behind them and slamming Nyx into the wall and sending Tempest flying back a few feet. The rocky villain attempted to move past them towards Alice.

"Uh uh uh," Nyx smiled ferally, pushing him back with an intense blast of what seemed to be dark fire. Tempest closed her eyes, her fists clenched, before the shot open as the water from the pipes above burst out to swamp Cinderblock. He roared and lashed out blindly, unable to see through the blast of water, slamming Nyx into the wall again. She growled and threw three blasts of darkness in quick succession at his eyes, effectively blinding him for at least the next few days. Tempest followed up by slashing downward with her arms, cutting into Cinderblock's body with the water that was now threatening to flood the already-battered base. He howled and began to flail wildly, effectively destroying everything within his reach. Nyx appeared next to Tempest, emerging from one of the shadows, and the two girls made a hasty retreat as the room began to cave in, the entire structure shaking ominously. Alice, now awake, was in hysterics, having climbed onto an armchair to get away from the now waist-high water. Nyx grabbed Alice's right hand, Tempest grabbing Nyx's left, and all three vanished in a flash of darkness with a sound like a cannon blast.

* * *

"You weren't kidding. Someone _is _trying to kill her," Tempest panted, the adrenaline of the battle fading away.

Alice clutched her bag close, her green eyes still wide. "Why? I've never done anything to anyone!"

"Be that as it may, your life is in grave danger. First Cheshire, then that thug," Nyx crossed her arms, her expression grave. "I don't like it."

"There was something before that, too," Alice said quietly. "Someone tried to rob me in Versailles. He said something about a Crystal Heart..."

Nyx hissed as Tempest gasped. They exchanged a look before helping Alice to her feet.

"This way," Tempest said, and the three left the beach they had landed on, taking a well-worn path up to a tower shaped like a T.

They walked in silence, and Alice observed her surroundings as they did so. The green hills around them contrasted sharply with Nyx's and Tempest's costumes. Tempest's costume was a skintight grey top that exposed her midriff, and it looked like it was made completely out of scales. It had her insgnia, a turquoise wave against a blue backround, on her chest. Two razor-sharp "fins" extended from her elbow to her wrist on each side. She wore turquoise pants made out of the same material as her top that could even fuse into a tail, with matching aqua flats that seemed to be attached to the pants. She had identical fins as the ones on her arms from her ankle to the middle of her leg.

In a few minutes, they had arrived at Titans Tower, and Nyx pulled out a communicator, the two heroines having a brief talk with someone that Alice couldn't hear. Shutting it with a snap, Nyx smiled reassuringly at Alice as they entered the Tower. From the way they were positioned, it seemed that the Teen Titans themselves had been expecting them, and Nyx and Tempest sat down. Alice sat with them after a moment, still rather confused as to how she had ended up in this mess.

"So what's the emergency?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"We need a place to stay. Cinderblock kinda wrecked the place when he visited," Tempest blew an errant strand of her dark hair out of her face. "may we please stay here? Just for a few days."

"Sure," Robin replied, but there was a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Her too, right?" he asked, gesturing to Alice.

The girls exchanged a look. "Yeeeah," said Nyx, dragging out the word, "but I should probably tell you something first."

She glanced at Raven, a black glow appearing around Nyx for a minute before Raven nodded, her eyes narrowed.

"Crap, the others!" Tempest cried out suddenly, her eyes wide.

"Taken care of. After last time, Sparks and I fixed the system so that it sends out an alert when the base is compromised. I'm sure they'll contact you soon." Nyx looked smug as Tempest winced in anticipation. When Mirage got pissed, she got _pissed_.

"There are a few spare rooms down the hall for her, and you guys have your rooms. Star?" Robin turned to face Starfire, who nodded before floating away. Alice followed close behind as Nyx and Tempest chatted quietly with the other Titans.

* * *

**A/N: Not the greatest place to end, but it'll do. What do you think? Also, any other language I use in this story is probably going to be translated with Google, so I apologize in advance to native speakers.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or their world.

**Chapter 3: Welcome to the Tower**

Alice finished unpacking the few possessions she had with her, kissing the wooden chest with her mother's necklace before tucking it safely away in the bottom drawer of a conveniently placed dresser. Her room was a soft blue, a few shades lighter that her now-discarded dress. A queen-sized bed took up one wall while the dresser took up the other. A large closet held a few of the dresses she had grabbed when she fled the apartment; Alice loved Victorian-style things, so most if not all her clothes were inspired by that era. A mirror stood on top of the dresser, showing a wary blonde girl looking around. Finally, several bookshelves too up the rest of the wall space. It was a cozy room, and Alice wouldn't mind keeping it. Nyx and Tempest, evidently, had their own rooms here; all the Honorary Titans did, though the guest rooms were on the lower levels and sometimes even under the Tower. The Titans themselves lived at the top, right off the main room, so that they could be there immediately when called.

Alice herself was located in one of the underground rooms. Starfire had been friendly enough last night when showing her here, but Alice still sensed a hint of suspicion from her. She guessed that all of this was due to that conversation that Nyx had had yesterday over the communicator. Putting on a pale yellow dress as she mused, Alice briefly glanced in the mirror. Continuing on her way out of the room, she did a double take as she turned back to the mirror. Her hair had darkened a few shades, and white strands were interspersed in between the now-dirty blonde ones.

"Well that's new," said a voice.

Alice clutched her heart, letting out an involuntary scream before composing herself. Beast Boy stood in the doorway, grinning slightly.

"Breakfast's ready," he said, before disappearing down the hall.

Alice frowned. The heroes didn't dislike her (as far as she could see, anyway) but there was something in their speech, actions and body language that hinted at there being _something_ about her that they didn't like. Shaking it off, she played with a few strands of her changed hair as she went to the elevator, she frowned as she heard muffled shouts coming from the main room. She leaned against the wall and listened, hearing her name.

"That girl. Alice. You know what he's done to her." A man's voice, but not one she knew.

"It's not the same. And he hasn't done anything yet." Nyx, in a tone she couldn't quite place.

"How do you know? We don't know who she is. We don't know what she's done. She could be a spy-"

"She's not a spy!"

"Think about it, love. This sounds too familiar-"

Nyx's voice became deadly quiet. "Don't you dare use her."

His voice rose in response. "Alice is just like Ariana!"

"Ariana was a victim! She was innocent and manipulated and _destroyed_!"

"She entered his service willingly, she said so herself!"

"_SHE WAS TORTURED!_"

"Do you honestly believe that?! You still refuse to see the truth!"

"The same goes for you!"

"Enough." Raven's voice cut through the argument. "We have an eavesdropper."

With that, Alice gave up hope of hearing any more and entered the main room, making no noise as she grabbed a ready-made plate of breakfast. Raven, Cyborg, and Tempest sat at the corner of one of the couches while Nyx and another man stood up, glaring at each other furiously. Alice slowly ate some toast as she observed him. This new hero had an orange leather jacket with a red shirt underneath. His pants were also orange, and he had a red belt that held a sword made of a stone-like material with glowing orange runes along the blade. he wore orange boots similar in style to Robin's. His brown hair contrasted sharply with his orange eyes. He shot Alice a glare that made her shrink backwards, staring at the floor as she ate the last bits of her toast mechanically.

She quickly scurried back to her room afterwards, desperately wanting to flee from the suspicious and accusing glares sent her way. The doors swishing shut behind her, Alice stared at her reflection, occasionally touching her new hair. Almost involuntarily, memories began to wash over her, blurring together...

_"Alice! You have to go, now! He cannot see you!"_

_"To my daughter, Alice Carillo, I leave the house and all that lies within it..."_

_Remember me through it, but do not wear it. Never doubt that I love you._

_"Your father left long ago," she said simply, her eyes distant._

_"I will take back what you stole from me! I will have my daughter!"_

_"MOTHER!"_

She jerked herself out of her memories, breathing heavily as though she'd been running. Tears trickled down her face and a sob escaped as she remembered the death of her mother for the hundredth time in the last two months. She still grieved for the only parent she had ever had, er father having abandoned them at Alice's birth. Wiping away the few tears, she picked herself up off the floor and glanced at the clock, groaning as she saw that it was only 10:30 AM. Wary of going upstairs for the moment, Alice tiptoed to her door, looking both to the left and right and making sure the hallway was clear. Smiling smugly, she stealthily slipped out of her room and began to explore, hugging the wall. Several rooms opened as she passed, revealing other themed guest rooms that she assumed belonged to other superheroes.

Alice saw a fiery room, a room filled with electrical equipment, a pure white room, and a room that was painted black and red with various weapons proudly displayed in glass cases. The final room at the end of the hall wouldn't open, and Alice leaned forward to see the lock when fire rose up in front of her. Crying out, she leaped backward, only to collide into the man who had glared at her earlier. His eyes were filled with an orange glow, and it was quite evident that he was furious.

"Curious, are we?" he asked rhetorically. He grabbed her by the collar, using the several inches that he had over her (Alice was 5'3", and he looked like he was at least 6') and pinned her against the wall. Alice struggled to breathe, frantically grabbing at her dress, attempting to get away.

"No one enters that room. _Especially _you." He leaned in. "You may have won the trust of my teammates, but I know what you're really trying to do. And believe me, if you make one false slip, give me one reason to suspect you're trying to sabotage any of us, you will be out of here faster than you can say "I'm innocent," Heart be damned." With a shake, he let her go, leaving Alice trembling in front of the forbidden door.

* * *

**Intense, hmm? Next chapter, we find out who that was, why he was so pissed, and what lies behind that door. We also learn more about the heroes of Spectrum and Alice makes a friend!**

**As always, please review and let me know what I can improve. The next chapter is on its way!**


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